Indigo Jabal Akhdar & Spa by IHG Resort

My fiancé and I came to celebrate his milestone birthday, and Milly from the reservations team handled our special requests with such care. She helped make the stay unforgettable. The rooms were incredible, the views stunning and the food amazing. Vikram at the rooftop restaurant VUE also looked after us so well and made the trip even better. We’re already looking forward to coming back.

We loved this place, which is unusual for a new hotel. All the staff were friendly and very helpful, and we’d thoroughly recommend it. The buffet breakfast and dinner were first class. The waiters serving wine and water were very attractive, and yes, you can buy alcohol here. There’s also a rooftop bar where the DJ can be very cool, and alcohol is available there too. The pool area is fabulous, with great valley and mountain views. Our room was a great size; try for one overlooking the pool and down the valley. The front-facing rooms aren’t bad, but the view from the rear rooms is fabulous. We only booked one night, which was the main downside. It’s a new hotel high in the mountains, reached by a long drive up a very steep road past surrounding properties. There’s a police checkpoint at the bottom, so have your paperwork ready. The road is new, and the old cart track is long gone.

The hotel and spa staff were all spectacular, and the spa was a treat. Desi was gracious during my massage, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We also had great cocktails and food at the rooftop Vue bar and restaurant, and the breakfast buffet was delicious with tons of choices. We loved the place and it was a highlight of our trip, easily one of my best hotel stays. We were in chalet room 105, with a spectacular balcony view for sunsets and sunrises. Nasser was incredibly helpful when my friend’s luggage was delayed and finally arrived at Muscat airport three days into our trip. He called to check the bag was there, then arranged for a driver to pick it up and bring it to the hotel at no cost. That made our experience so much better. Amazing hotel, I can’t recommend it enough.

The room itself was comfortable and nicely designed, and breakfast was good, but those positives didn’t make up for what we paid, over $360. The view was honestly the worst I’ve had at a hotel in this price range across more than 40 countries. The room was sold as a mountain or city view, yet looked onto a car park and an extended balcony, really the roof of the entrance gate, that couldn’t be used. Artificial grass and rocks seemed to be an attempt to improve the outlook, but didn’t help. When we asked to switch rooms around 2 pm, staff said ours was the best view in our category and the hotel was fully booked. It was hard to believe no other rooms were available, but they declined our request. The other side faces construction, which is even less appealing, so the advertised sunsets weren’t as impressive as expected. From what we saw, only canyon-view rooms seem to have a truly scenic outlook. I’d book that category if staying here. The ground-floor pool area also has little view, mostly blocked by umbrellas. We had an amazing trip around Oman, and this was our one disappointment. Nizwa seems a better-value place to stay, and this area is easy to visit as a day trip since you’ll need to drive back the same way anyway. If you do stay here, I’d choose an affordable stay or another hotel with better views.